Tennessee Vols player caught pushing Arkansas fan on field after the game
The Tennessee Vols ended up on the wrong end of a tough loss on Saturday night, falling 19-14 to the Arkansas Razorbacks on Saturday night in Fayetteville. Tennessee allowed a late touchdown to backup QB Malachi Singleton, opting to let him score with 1:17 left in the game rather than let the Hogs bleed clock […]
The Tennessee Vols ended up on the wrong end of a tough loss on Saturday night, falling 19-14 to the Arkansas Razorbacks on Saturday night in Fayetteville.
Tennessee allowed a late touchdown to backup QB Malachi Singleton, opting to let him score with 1:17 left in the game rather than let the Hogs bleed clock and kick a field goal with almost no time left. The strategy almost worked, but Nico Iamaleava ran out of bounds on the final play inside the Arkansas red zone instead of making a desperation throw to the end zone.
As a result, the Arkansas fans poured onto the field in a madhouse celebration. And in the ensuing chaos, an unfortunate incident appeared to occur between a Tennessee player and some Hog fans.
DL Omari Thomas (#21) appears to be the player that shoves an Arkansas fan while walking off the field. The fan then flies backwards and appears to knock down a female fan on the field.
It's not clear if there was something physical from the fan to cause it or if anything was said. Regardless, on its face, it doesn't look good for the Vol defender.
Storming the field is a tough situation for players. They've just put their guts into a three-hour-plus fight to come up short, and now they're being subjected to the taunts and goading from opposing fans while they're at a low point.
However, Thomas is a senior and he surely has to know that he has to do better in that situation. He's on the SEC Football Leadership Council for the Vols. He simply can't do something like that, absent a justification that's hard to see from the outside.
The Vols (and their fans) are no strangers to being on the other side of that situation. Alabama's Jermaine Burton drew plenty of controversy when video showed him appear to strike a female UT fan while leaving the field during Tennessee's 52-49 win over the Crimson Tide back in 2022. Burton mentioned the supposed hostile environment while later explaining his actions.
And while there is something to that situation as far as safety, it's one that the players have to avoid becoming engaged in a moment like that. At this point, the SEC isn't realistically going to be able to keep fans from coming onto the field, so it's something the players will have to navigate, as unfortunate for them as it is.
Perhaps we'll find out in the coming days if there is more to the situation, but still, Thomas has to try to avoid putting his hands on a fan absent the most serious of circumstances.
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Not a good night for the coaching staff
